By that metric, sure. My objection is... I see absolutely no reason to put an arbitrary number against it and say "this is how many contenders a division has to have at a given time". How many have realistic routes to a title without an exceptionally soft/inappropriate/unqualified opponent? How many have a punchers chance, or sufficient cards skill to pitch a perfect fight - ie: how many can get lucky against serious opponents? If you have a really strong division, or a consistently weak one, then you might have more contenders... If there are a few fighters clearly a couple of levels above, you might have very few. The weakness of the division with Usyk, Fury and Joshua declined might bring Hrgovic closer... But he's still limited in enough ways that he's probably not winning title fights against suitable opponents - which Itauma hadn't proven nearly enough yet to qualify as.
Imo this OP is just as reactive as the initial hype - it's an entire unknown how much character & resilience Moses has; maybe he comes back better with something to prove - as much to himself - as others, maybe he doesn't. Saying he is done at 21 after a single defeat is just the opposite to the hype and a bit premature and hyperbolic the other way IMO. Though I'm sure it's just the kind of ammunition he would need to come back and prove folks he has more dimensions and can be great.
As you said a while back. A huge huge problem with fighters is ego - and the idea of training and fighting as a outboxer instead, rather than a slugger looking for the KO may not appeal to someone like Itauma.
Lest we forget Wlad’s getting ko’d multiple times, Fury going life and death with Cunningham and McDermott, well he should have lost that one. Moses will come back from this
Exactly... Ego ruins many a decent fighter. Some hide from challenge to protect their zeros - their egos can't take losing (Tank, Wilder, for example). Others fight a particular way that isn't actually their best bet purely because they think it'll make them more popular (even if it'll make them clearly less effective - Joshua and Parker, for example). And then you have plenty of greats who fight on even though they're clearly shot - and sometimes it's not about money, but about a refusal to accept that old father time has their number.
If Hrgovic, Parker, or Dubois were able to bounce back from bad losses then surely the same thing can happen to Itauma as well.
The ingredients for this to be a career ending event are certainly there and I've no confidence in his corner to rebuild their fighters confidence and stamina. If he's handled properly, and I mean to come into the ring in fighting shape, he could rebound but the image of him being carried out of the ring on a stretcher is unforgettable, lets see if Itauma can forget it.
Why do people make these threads? Misery loves company half the men I know that are miserable aren't even allowed to check their missus phone let alone have a say at home Then they come on the inernet talking nonsense Itauma would stop 90% of Heavyweights right now in 8 rounds he got unlucky and fought Hrgovic who was a tough SOB the eastern europeans are built different they know poverty
What a joke. He doesn't have to 'completely' rebuild his style. He needs rounds and some good opponents to give him rounds. Also fighting 3-4 times a year, even if against limited, but tough opp, would help.
...and they'll march straight into his counters and wake up in the dressing room unless they have granite chins. Hrgovic is an anomaly when it comes to chins, not the heavyweight standard.